Stone Oak Orthodontics, reminding you about the importance of regular dental checkups

Our staff at Stone Oak Orthodontics wants to know: is your child brushing his or her teeth twice a day? If yes, that’s fantastic! But, don’t forget that it’s also vital for your child to visit the dentist every six months in addition to brushing their teeth a couple times a day (and visiting Dr. Norris, of course). Regular dental checkups are important for maintaining good oral health. Your dentist can:

• Check for problems that might not be seen or felt
• Detect cavities and early signs of decay
• Treat oral health problems early
• Show your child how to properly brush and floss their teeth

During an oral exam the doctor will check the health of your child’s mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks and tongue. Checkups will also include a thorough teeth cleaning and polishing. If your child has not been to the dentist in the last six months, it’s time for you to schedule an appointment!

Ask us for a referral to a local dentist - plenty of great ones here in San Antonio!

SureSmile works its magic on the Science Channel! From Dr. Norris

Our staff recently found a really interesting clip of SureSmile technology on Brink: Science Channel. In addition to shortening treatment times, the greater efficiency of the SureSmile system also helps reduce the number of wire changes and adjustments you'll need, and that means fewer trips to Stone Oak Orthodontics. The SureSmile system's 3-D software lets Dr. Norris analyze how to effectively and efficiently align your teeth. Through this software, personalized archwires are designed to move your teeth into proper alignment smoothly and directly.

We'd love to know what you thought about the video! At Stone Oak Orthodontics, we love working with SureSmile technology. To learn more about SureSmile, please give us a call today.

Essay contest at Stone Oak Orthodontics!

With Mother's Day right around the corner, it's the time of year to celebrate our moms, aunts, friends or maybe a grandparent who has stepped in to be a mom to you.

Please write an essay and email it to us describing what makes her so special to you. One winner will be picked to receive a $100 gift card to the Woodhouse Day Spa. Please email your essays to ginger@stoneoakortho.com. Remember, all entries must be received by Saturday, May 8.

GOOD LUCK!

Help Stone Oak Orthodontics support America's troops

Our team at Stone Oak Orthodontics will be accepting donations for our troops during April and May. You may donate items such as disposable cameras, playing cards, trail mix, facial tissues, candy and much, much more. For a complete list of items, please head over to our Facebook fan page!

Please help Dr. Norris and our staff Support our Troops and enjoy the rest of your week.

This April, a reminder to play it safe! From Dr. Norris

Our staff has some good news to report this afternoon (and no, it's not an April Fools' joke!). A new study at Wayne State University reports that people with big, happy smiles may actually out-live those who don’t.

Dr. Norris has known for a long time that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university did something quite interesting: they used information from the Baseball Register to look at photos of 230 players who began their baseball careers prior to 1950 and studied their smile intensity (wide smile, no smile or partial smile). The researchers then compared the players' smile ratings with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through last year. The researchers then took into account other factors associated with longevity, such as body mass index, or BMI, career length and, believe it or not, college attendance.

The results? They found that players who weren't smiling died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big, happy smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old!

The take-away from the new study? Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer! Have you perfected your smile by visiting Stone Oak Orthodontics lately? If not, give our team a call today at 210.402.3322.